I Thought I Lost You
by FredandGeorgefreak
Summary: The car was coming up so close to him that he had no choice except to run. At first, he just started to speed walk. The car only came closer. He walked a little faster. The car got a little closer. A little faster, a little closer. And with that, he ran.


**_I wrote this a loooong time ago and decided to finish it tonight...at 11 PM...yeah. Well, I'm super tired, so I'm going to go to bed soon, but I wanted to post this._**

**_It's another story where Pony is 5, and the other Greasers are the same age._**

**_Enjoy :)_**

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A small, five-year-old Ponyboy Curtis stepped out of his kindergarten classroom, slinging his torn up backpack over his shoulder. He was tired and just wanted to get home.

Walking out of the school, he headed toward his house. It didn't make much sense why a kid as young as he was walking home alone, but his brothers had to work so much that they didn't have time in their busy schedules to pick Ponyboy up from anywhere. So, he had to find his way home by himself.

Everything seemed to be going fine. Until a red Mustang started driving at a distance behind him. The young Curtis continued at a steady pace, however. The gang always warned him to never run from the Socs.

But the car was coming up so close to him that he had no choice except to run. At first, he just started to speed walk. The car only came closer. He walked a little faster. The car got a little closer. A little faster, a little closer. And with that, he ran as fast as his little, five-year-old legs could carry him.

That just made the Socs mad. So, they hopped out of their car and raced to the little boy. They climbed on top of him and pinned him to the ground.

They looked at Ponyboy's slicked back hair and smirked.

"Hey, guys, look. We've got ourselves a miniature Greaser," one said.

"And look at his hair," another said, running his fingers down the long locks. Ponyboy whimpered when the boy's hand traced his face.

"Maybe we should give him a haircut," a third suggested. Shaking his head rapidly, Ponyboy tried to shake their hands off. No luck. Their grips only became tighter.

"Should we cut it down here?" The one with the knife put the blade underneath the boy's chin. "Or maybe over here." He moved it a little the right. "Or maybe over here..." He traveled the knife across Ponyboy's neck.

He screamed in pain. The Socs proceed carrying the blade along the edge of his face. It only made Ponyboy scream more. He wanted Darry; he wanted Soda.

Moving the knife to his face, the boy with the blade dug the sharp end into Ponyboy's cheek and up to his eye.

Squeezing his eyes shut so they couldn't cut them, Ponyboy shouted, "Darry! Soda!" over and over again. It seemed to anger the rich boys, for they covered his mouth with a napkin off the sidewalk.

And suddenly, they stopped. They let go of Ponyboy and ran to their car. Feet flew on the cement and past the young Greaser. But he didn't get up; he was sore. All he did was lie there and listen to the sounds of the Socs engine starting as people tried to stop them.

Then he felt a soft hand on his forehead. He looked up and smiled slightly, despite the pain in his face. The hand skimmed the long scratch on his face.

Hearing a soft sigh, Ponyboy sat up, coming face to face with his older brother.

A tear dared to peak out of his eye. _No, Greasers don't cry. Stop it, tears._

Still, the tears flowed down his face.

"Darry," the young Curtis whispered in agony. Darry wrapped his arms around his brother's body.

"Don't cry, honey, it'll be okay," he murmured back. They just sat there, taking in each other's comfort. But on the inside, Darry was furious. Who would do this to a kid? Especially to a sweet little one like his Ponyboy?

"It hurts," Ponyboy said quietly.

Darry's anger lessened. "I know, baby, I know."

As the oldest Curtis brother held his sibling, they watched as the rest of the gang attacked the Socs and their car. They punched and kicked until the car finally drove away.

Another boy ran towards Ponyboy. He kneeled down next to him and stroked his hair tenderly.

"Hey, Pony," Soda said, "They pull a blade on you?" The boy nodded, bursting into tears once more.

"Soda," Darry scolded softly, as he hugged his brother closer.

The middle brother held his hands up in defense. "I didn't mean to!" he insisted. Then he turned to his little brother. "Are you okay?" Pony shook his head.

Soda looked at Darry with pleading eyes. The older gave him a questioning look. All he got in response was a sappy pout. Rolling his eyes, Darry picked Ponyboy up and placed him in Soda's lap. The younger immediately snuggled into his brother's chest, almost completely forgetting the whole scene with the Socs. He probably would have, if the pain in his face would stop.

"You scared us, alright," Soda said, only to have a few more tears to slip from Ponyboy's eyes.

"Soda," Darry hissed.

"What?" he looked down at his brother and then grumbled a quick "Sorry" before picking the boy up. "Come on, let's go home." Nodding, Ponyboy wrapped his arms around Soda's neck and wrapped his legs around his waist.

"This is all my fault," Darry said as they started walking, "I should've known a five-year-old couldn't walk home from school by himself."

"It ain't your fault," Ponyboy mumbled.

"Yes it is. You're too young to be left alone. Especially when the Socs are around."

"I could always pick him up," Soda offered, "He loves comin' over to the DX. Don't ya', Pony?" The small boy nodded, giggling when Soda kissed his hair. "Plus, all the girls love him. He brings in business real quick."

"Don't you even think about sellin' our brother, little man," Darry warned. Ignoring the comment, Soda smiled at the boys sitting in front of his house.

"Hey, buddy," Johnny said, patting an almost asleep Ponyboy on the head, "You feelin' okay?" Pony smiled, quickly nodding his head. Johnny grinned, patting the boy on the head once more.

Dally sat there, idly smoking a cigarette. He acknowledged the brothers with a small nod. Two-Bit sat on top of his car, a beer bottle in hand, laughing at something stupid he had heard earlier that day. Steve approached Soda, lightly punching his shoulder.

"That was one heck of a shock, huh, Soda?" he said. Ponyboy shook off his tiredness long enough to send an apologetic frown. Soda smiled and kissed his brother's cheek.

"Yeah, sure. It was fun to get back at those Socs. No one hurts my baby brother," Soda said protectively.

Ponyboy beamed and rested his head on Soda's shoulder, eyes closing. Soda chuckled, taking his brother into the house, Darry following.

Entering the youngest Curtis' bedroom, Soda put Ponyboy down on the bed.

When the young boy's head hit the pillow, his eyes fluttered closed, and he drifted to sleep. Both Soda and Darry kissed Pony's head before gently closing the door and walked back outside where the rest of the gang was still chatting away.

Pony shifted in his blankets, and he sat up in his bed. He looked around and saw nobody. Becoming scared, he threw the blanket off of him, flung open the door, and raced outside. He dashed to Soda and wrapped his arms around the him from behind. Soda looked down, surprised to see his little brother holding him in a tight embrace.

Soft tears ran down Ponyboy's face. Soda sighed, picking his little brother up. He rocked him back and forth, knowing the boy was frightened from the afternoon's events.

Pony stuck his thumb in his mouth, sucking on it. Moments later, Ponyboy fell limp on Soda's shoulder, fast asleep. Darry motioned for Soda to bring him back inside the house, but Soda shook his head, pulling his brother to his chest. Pony shifted in his arms but rested comfortably soon after.

Soda smiled at his little brother, nuzzling his nose into Pony's auburn hair.

He couldn't protect him forever. But he was savoring every minute he could.

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_**A/N: I know, bad ending. I'm tired.**_

_**Dance competition tomorrow. Gotta be at the hotel at 7:40 AM. Lovely.**_

_**Good night!**_


End file.
